Kenya’s Iconic Wildlife Odyssey

On safari, it is tradition to head out early in search of wildlife, as it is more likely to be active when it’s cooler.  You have an excellent chance of seeing any or all of the large predators that roam these plains in search of a meal. Cheetah and African wild dogs thrive here, as do lions, leopards and hyenas.  Elephants, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and more populate the varied habitats.  Another aspect of the conservation work done on Ol Pejeta is providing refuge for wildlife rescued from illegal traders.  During the game drive, you’ll visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary to see the excellent work being done to give our closest genetic relatives a second lease on life.

Lunch is served back at the lodge and after a short siesta, you can join the afternoon game drive.  Despite the heroic efforts across the continent to save rhinos, the battle is far from one.  During the game drive you’ll be confronted with this reality when you meet the last two northern white rhinos in existence: Najin and Fatu, both of whom are barren.  The species’ last hope lies in developing artificial reproductive techniques.

After dinner, our guests have the option of joining a nocturnal game drive, with the possibility of seeing predators hunting.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Ol Pejeta Conservancy
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

Before we depart Ol Pejeta, hop on an early game drive in search of game, perhaps seeing a pride of lions feasting on prey brought down overnight.  On a smaller scale, Ol Pejeta Conservancy is also home to an astonishing 500 different bird species.  Your guide will be sure to point some of these out to you; such as ostrich, Kori bustards and secretary birds.  After the game drive, enjoy a hearty breakfast before we set off for Lake Nakuru National Park.

The drive from Ol Pejeta to Lake Nakuru takes approximately 3.5 hours, covering 133 km (82 mi) through a scenic landscape.  On arrival, lunch will be served after which you have some leisure time before the afternoon activity.

After the neutral tones of the savannah, the color and bustle around Lake Nakuru is refreshing.  It is probably most well known for the thousands, occasionally millions of pink flamingos that are drawn to its shores in search of food.  In the breeding season, they perform ritualized dances that are as comical as they are beautiful.  Millions of other water birds congregate on the shore, sustained by the ample food found in the nutrient-rich waters.  Also populating the shallows, rafts of hippos honk irritably, while massive Nile crocodiles feign innocence in the midday sun.

The day draws to a close with dinner before bed.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Lake Nakuru National Park
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

With the sunrise, a new day of adventure unfolds; starting with an early game drive.  Aside from the rich birdlife, the park is also host to various mammals.  Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have been introduced to the park and you also have a decent chance of seeing lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyena patrolling among the ever-vigilant antelope.

On returning from the game drive, breakfast is served before we depart for arguably one of Africa’s most famous national parks.  Heading south and then east, we’ll cover some 300 km (185 mi) in about 6 hours, stopping en route for an energizing lunch.  By mid-afternoon, we’ll be approaching the never-ending savannah plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve around which the indigenous Maasai people walk tall in their distinctive red robes.  

After checking in at your chosen accommodation, you’ll be offered an afternoon game drive.  Commonly referred to simply as ‘The Mara’, this vast expanse covers an impressive 1510 sq. km (583 sq. mi) and forms the northern part of the Serengeti ecosystem (along with the namesake reserve across the border in Tanzania).

After a long day, you’ll appreciate a tasty meal and a comfortable bed.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Masai Mara National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

For the romantic adventurer, the opportunity to drift in near silence over the reserve as the sun rises, is not to be missed.  We offer this exceptional experience at an extra cost of $450 per person

Whether or not you take to the literal skies, your spirit will soar in anticipation of the day that lies ahead.  With so much to see over such an extensive area, we pack picnic hampers and refreshments sufficient for the whole day, which will be spent on an extended game drive.

The Masai Mara is said to be home to the greatest density of predators in Kenya.  Due to the abundance of prey species such as giraffe, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest, sociable lions form large prides that protect extensive territories.  Aside from other lions, the only animal that dare challenge their supremacy is the spotted hyena.  They too form large clans, using cunning and numbers to level the battleground with their arch enemies.  The sheer drama and noise when these species clash is in itself a reason that this place ranks so highly among safari aficionados.  Suffice it to say, whatever you see, you’ll welcome a delicious meal before retiring for the evening.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Masai Mara National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

After a good night’s sleep, you wake refreshed and ready for another day out on the plains of this national treasure.  The Mara hosts the northern leg of the legendary Great Wildebeest Migration which includes the Serengeti plains to the south.  From July to October, a flood of 1.5 million wildebeest sweep over the plains, in the largest terrestrial migration on earth.  Unsurprisingly, it is a chaotic sight to behold, all the more so as it attracts predators from far and wide.  Nowhere is the drama, beauty and perfect balance of nature better displayed across all of Kenya.

You have an excellent chance of seeing all members of the Big 5 in less than a day.  The guides communicate amongst themselves, sharing information about special sightings.  Incidentally, the term, ‘the big five’ originates from the early days of big game hunting when these species; lion, leopard, elephant, (black) rhino and Cape buffalo were considered the most dangerous to hunt on foot.  That said, there is so much more to the Mara than just the Big 5 and the migration.  It is a complex, self-sustaining ecosystem rich in life and mystery, where a beetle is as important as an elephant.  After a long but exhilarating day, dinner and a comfortable bed await.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Masai Mara National Reserve
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

They say that all good things must come to an end and leaving the Masai Mara may feel like that.  But there is lots of time and interesting sightings still to be had!  Before leaving the area, we encourage you to make an optional visit to a local Maasai ‘manyatta’ (homestead) at a cost of $20 per person.  To fully appreciate the Masai Mara as a whole, getting a glimpse of the traditional life and culture of the people who have lived in harmony with this land for eons, is all but essential.

We then head northeast to our next lakeside destination, covering 240 km (149 mi) over 5-6 hours.  Glimmering waters in the distance herald our approach, soon to reveal beautiful Lake Naivasha.  After checking into your chosen accommodations, the afternoon will be spent at a sedate pace.  First, we’ll cruise the lake observing the various birds, hippos and crocodiles, before alighting at Crescent Island, where you can enjoy a relaxing (and much needed) stroll around the island.  We return to the accommodation in time for dinner and a relaxed evening under a canopy of stars.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Lake Naivasha
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

This morning we leave the sparkling waters of Lake Naivasha, first making our way to the nearby 13.4 km (8 mi) Hell’s Gate National Park.  Here you will once again have a chance to stretch your legs.  The park is a great place to explore on foot or on a mountain bike.  The area is renowned for its rugged landscape, with numerous gorges through which torrents race over multiple waterfalls.  There are also geothermal vents, towering cliffs and monolithic rock towers.  Wildlife to be seen in the park includes African buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, baboons, klipspringer antelope, and Chandler’s mountain reedbuck.  Birdwatching is also very good and for a small area, with various raptors sailing the updrafts around the cliffs and spires.

We then continue on in a southeasterly direction, covering about 312 km (194 mi)in 5-6 hours, arriving in the late afternoon at Amboseli National Park.  With Africa’s tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro, looming just over the border in Tanzania, this park epitomizes the picture postcard impression many people have of Africa.  Amboseli covers 392 sq. km (151 sq. mi) and the landscape varies between 5 principle habitats, including savannah, swamps, thickets and dry lake beds.  This variety means that there are diverse mammal and bird species, including four of the Big 5 – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo – with rhino absent.  If there is enough time, an afternoon game drive may be possible.  Or perhaps you’d like to get an early night as there’s a long day ahead.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Amboseli National Park
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

As the first rays of sunlight warm the flanks of Mount Kilimanjaro, we set off on a full-day game drive in Amboseli.  The park is well known for its large elephant population, with some 2000 of these gentle giants estimated to live here; one of the highest densities in Africa.  Second only to man in their ability to affect their environment, evidence of their presence is obvious.  A healthy population of predators also roam the area and there’s a very good chance of spotting lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and African wild dogs.  Their prey is a mix of herbivores, including giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, warthogs and antelope.

At lunch time, we’ll stop for a picnic; the ideal time to keep a lookout for the 40 different birds of prey patrolling the skies over Amboseli, including various eagle, buzzard and vulture species.  In total, 600 different species have been recorded making this a birding hotspot of note.  Thanks to the diverse array of animals, habitats and birds found in the park, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.  As the day draws to a close, we head back to your accommodation for dinner and leisure.

• Accommodation at your camp or lodge
• Overnight stay in Amboseli National Park
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Drinking water, other drinks are extra

One last game drive sets off in the early morning, a great time to tally up your sightings checklist and hopefully add a few more species.  Kenya’s second-most popular national park seldom disappoints.  Perhaps you get to see a thrilling predator chase.  Maybe you are content to enjoy the view of the passing landscape against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro.  Whatever your preference, we are sure you’ll be filled with mixed feelings.  Author Brian Jackman once quipped, “Of all the things that could bite you in Africa, the safari bug is the worst”.  If you agree with this sentiment, you might be thinking about when you might return.

We leave Amboseli destined for Nairobi after breakfast.  The drive should take 3-4 hours to cover 205 km (127 mi).  You’ve covered much of central and southern Kenya.  You’ve seen wildlife beyond your imagination.  You’ve been touched by the warm hospitality of her people.  You’ve heard noises in the night that are both thrilling and a bit scary.  You’ve savored the aroma of dozens of plants and tasted adventure like never before.  “Out of Africa” author Karen Blixen wrote, “There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne – bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive”.  As we say our goodbyes, we at FlashMc Tours sincerely hope you feel the same.

• No accommodation, this is the final day
• Breakfast and lunch, no dinner
• Drinking water. other drinks are extra